226 



THE OOLOGIST 



he explained their value and urged 

 their protection against injury. 



He was gone several months. On 

 his return he inquired eagerly for his 

 treasure and was informed that it was 

 all right. The hox was brought forth 

 and opened. But alas! A pair of Nor- 

 way rats had gnawed their way into 

 it and reared a young family in the 

 paper which they had torn to pieces. 



All the time and labor spent in the 

 drawing of nearly a thousand inhabi- 

 ants of the air had gone for naught. 



Said Audubon: "The burning heat 

 which instantly rushed through my 

 brain was too great to be endured 

 without affecting my whole nervous 

 system. I slept for several nights and 

 the days passed like days of oblivion, 

 until the animal powers being recalled 

 into action through the strength of my 

 constitution I took up my gun, my note- 

 book and my pencils, and went forth 

 to the woods as gayly as if nothing had 

 happened. I felt pleased that I might 

 now make better drawings than be- 

 fore; and ere a period not exceeding 

 three years had elapsed my portfolio 

 was again filled." 



This was the devotion of a lover of 

 nature to nature's lovely handwork. It 

 shows us how we may bear our 

 troubles. Most of them we may rise 

 above, and when we do this we are 

 larger and richer than we were be- 

 fore. — Classmate. — W. A. Strong, San 

 Jose, Cal. 



Rare Crows' Eggs 



I have two sets of Pink Crows' eggs 

 which 1 know are genuine. They were 

 taken two different years from the 

 same section and are comparable in 

 color to Brown Thrasher and Mocking 

 Bird. 



1 also took a set of nine crows' eggs 

 from one nest but am inclined to 

 think that two different birds de- 

 posited them, Also have one set with 



runt egg. Sets of six are quite com- 

 mon as I have several of them. 

 J. R. Mann, 

 Arlington Heights, Mass. 

 We have two of this very rare type 

 of Crows' eggs in our collection and 

 know of another full set in another 

 collection. 



R. M. Barnes. 



Nesting Sites 



"Birds Nesting Near the Habitations 

 of Man, Vs. Nesting in the Wild." 



My experience exceeding over some 

 forty years active field work proves 

 to me that more young birds come to 

 maturity in the strictly wild state of 

 nesting then when they nest near to 

 the home of man. 



The prime causes against nesting 

 near the habitations of man are cats, 

 dogs, guns, small boys; various acci- 

 dents to a resident near Man. Causes 

 in the wild are reptiles, animals, birds 

 of prey, storms, stock in pastures. 



Robins, Blue Birds, Blue Jays, 

 Phoebes, Barn and Eve Swallows and 

 such that nest near our homes, sel- 

 dom get to maturity, more than one or 

 two of there hatched. 



The King Bird, Wood Pewee, Owls, 

 Woodpeckers, Rails, Hawks, more 

 often succeed in getting to maturity, 

 the whole, or nearly the whole brood. 

 It would be interesting and valuable 

 if an extensive report of this kind 

 could be made, as was done in the mi- 

 gration of birds. Many a time I have 

 seen Robins and Blue Jays bring off 

 four or five young and about the time 

 the young could make short flights, 

 some child would tease it to death 

 trying to catch and tame it, as a cat 

 would kill it. The others became so 

 widely scattered that the old birds 

 would have their "hands full," and 

 finally some day I would find them 

 giving their individual attention to one 

 young bird only, the rest probably 



